Personal motor vehicles having a large luggage space, which is further enlargeable if necessary by folding the rear seats, are enjoying increased popularity. In order to make it easier to load the available versatile luggage space, such motor vehicles include a rear trunk lid and/or tail gate that is pivotable about a substantially horizontal axis; the rear trunk lid or the tail gate can be divided in the middle and supported above and below on the vehicle structure. In the alternative, one or possibly two tail gates can be provided that is/are supported on the vehicle structure so as to be pivotable about a substantially vertical axis.
However, tail gates that are pivotable about vertical axes typically limit the design possibilities, because, e.g., when the shape significantly encroaches into the area of the rear window, hinges can only be disposed in the area of the gate body under the vehicle midline. The height of the gate body is limited by the distance between the lower edge of the rear window and the upper edge of the rear bumper. In addition, tail lights are disposed in this area, which tail lights must fulfill various legal regulations.